Offshore oil and gas platform stands at sunset off the coast of Long Beach. (Photo by Tim Rue, Bloomberg)

More than 80 people joined hands on the beach in San Clemente as part of Hands Across the Sand in 2010, a movement that asked people worldwide to join hands at noon on beaches worldwide to express concern about offshore oil drilling. Locally, the event was organized by the Surfrider Foundation. (Photo by Fred Swegles, The Orange County Register)

Similar protests opposing oil drilling have happened over the years, pictured here is a gathering in Orange County a few years ago. (Register file photo)

Oil platform Emmy off the coast of Huntington Beach can be seen in this August 5, 2010 aerial photo. (File photo JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/SCNG)

It’s intended to be a symbolic line in the sand: a string of people holding hands, coming together to oppose drilling off the California coast.

A “Hands Across the Sand” protest, expected to draw hundreds of people at Southern California beaches, is being planned for Saturday, Feb. 3 at Main Beach in Laguna, the Santa Monica Pier and Mission Beach in San Diego to voice concern about a proposal to open areas of the California coast that have been off-limits to offshore drilling for more than two decades.

Environmental groups, ocean enthusiasts and concerned citizens are on edge after plans were released earlier this month by the Trump administration for the largest expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. history.

“It’s a dirty and dangerous practice, people live here and visit here because of our beautiful beaches,” said Pete Stauffer, environmental director for the San Clemente-based nonprofit Surfrider Foundation which is co-hosting the protest. “This is a real serious threat.”

Administration officials argue that it’s beneficial to meet U.S. energy needs at home rather than be dependent on foreign oil.

“It is better to produce energy here and never to be held hostage by foreign entities to our energy needs,” U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said during a conference call with reporters when the announcement was made earlier this month. “Our country is blessed with vast assets and resources, and this is part of looking at it in a broader view.”

The plan would allow oil and gas companies to lease 47 areas off America’s coastlines from 2019 to 2024,up to 90 percent of the offshore areas where oil drilling is potentially allowed. Of those, seven would be in the Pacific Ocean — two off Northern California, two off Central California, two off Southern California and one off Washington state and Oregon, according to reports.

California is the nation’s third-largest oil-producing state, behind Texas and North Dakota. Most of its oil is produced from inland wells, but there are 32 offshore platforms and artificial islands, all in Southern California off the coasts of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties. They date back to the 1950s.

It would be the first time since 1984 new offshore drilling leases would be offered for sale in California.

In opposition, Stauffer cited spills along the coast that have prompted restrictions.

A 1969 spill in Santa Barbara spewed an estimated 3 million gallons of oil into some of the nation’s most sensitive coastal habitat and killed thousands of seabirds and other marine life. He also pointed to more recent disasters, including a pipeline rupture a few years ago in the same region that impacted businesses and affected the public’s health.

In Huntington Beach in 1990, an oil tanker ran over its anchor, spilling about 417,000 gallons of crude oil, according to news reports. Fifteen miles of beaches closed for three weeks; an estimated 3,400 birds were killed.

But the spills aren’t the only danger, Stauffer said. Even routine operations of offshore drilling can have a negative impact on water and air quality. Seismic blasts used to find areas to drill can be damaging to sea life, he said. “It’s not good for our economy or way of life,” he said.

Stauffer said it’s going to take bipartisan opposition to curb the offshore-drilling proposal.

“To get California removed from the drilling plan, Californians are going to have to speak out,” he said. “We’re going to have to lean on not just businesses and citizens, but politicians of both parties.”

Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Using a web-based approach, she turned her love for the ocean into a full-time gig as the paper’s beaches reporter. The unique beat allows her to delve into coastal culture by covering everything from the countless events dotting the 42 miles of coastline, to the business climate of the surf industry, to the fascinating wildlife that shows up on the shores. Most importantly, she takes pride in telling stories of the people who make the beaches so special, whether they are surfers using the ocean to heal, or the founders of major surf brands who helped spawn an entire culture, or people who tirelessly fight to keep the coast pristine and open for all to enjoy. She’s a world traveler who loves to explore the slopes during winter months or exotic surf spots around the globe. When she’s not working, or maybe while she's researching a story, you can find her longboarding at her favorite surf spots at San Onofre or Doheny.

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